Paris (AFP)
The vice-president of the German tennis federation Dirk Hordorff predicts, in an interview Monday with the Team, "the cancellation" of Wimbledon 2020 because of the coronavirus and attacks directly the president of the French federation Bernard Giudicelli, who moved Roland-Garros in the fall.
"They are not rumors: they will announce the cancellation" of Wimbledon, asserts Hordorff by specifying that the announcement of the organizers would intervene Wednesday. The Grand Slam tournament played on grass is scheduled from June 29 to July 12.
"We can possibly play Roland-Garros in September or October, not Wimbledon because of the grass which would be too wet", explains the German leader.
The French federation (FFT) indeed decided on March 17 on its own, which is its right, to play Roland-Garros from September 20 to October 4, instead of the fortnight May 24-June 7 initially scheduled, thus attracting the wrath of the tennis world which says it has not been consulted.
"What President Bernard Giudicelli did was disgusting. For tennis, for France. I'm sure he panicked because there are elections coming up (for the presidency of the FFT) ", accuses Hordorff on Monday. The election to the presidency of the FFT is scheduled for December 12.
"No one is against Roland-Garros, it's a fantastic and very important tournament. If there is a chance that it can be played, everyone will be happy. But the way they announce it, the lack of qualifications, dates ... It doesn't work like that! If we start to work like that, tennis is dead ", condemns the German leader who was coach of the Canadian Vasek Pospisil, member of the players' council and who very strongly condemned the displacement of the dates of the Internationaux de France.
Hordorff even goes so far as to predict that Roland-Garros would not be played in the fall either.
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